Thursday, September 29, 2011

This post is for another fellow teacher blogger who wanted to know more about buddy study! So here is my basic outline of how I do Buddy Study in my classroom :

Monday:Part A: Introduce the Word Study Principle (this week the principle is short vowels). We brainstorm a list of words that follow the particular pattern, I make sure to differentiate them into three columns, easy, medium and hard so that when the students have words they are comfortable with.Part B: Words To Learn sheet. The students choose 6 words from their personalized Words To Learn sheet (remember these words are from the top 150 high frequency words that they were tested on during the first two weeks of school).

Once the students have chosen their words, they write them in two places. 1. Spelling List Take Home Paper 2. Index Card (stays at school)

One of my students spelling lists, the check marks are next to the words they spelled correctly on their spelling test. The words
without a check means they did not get them correct on the spelling test and will remain unchecked on their Words To Learn sheet.

This is Buddy Study with white boards. This is like a practice spelling test, which is done on Thursday with their word study buddy. The actual spelling test is done the exact same way, but given on a Friday. The students swap their spelling words (which are written on their index card) and give the test to one another. We practice using whisper voices so that each person can concentrate on their test.

Once the buddy has written their words on the white board, their partner checks their spelling. using their index card which have their spelling words written on them. The kids like this because they are like the teacher and can correct one another's work.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

If you are a teacher and want to feel some validation of the hard work you do every day take a listen to the President's speech.

16:24 minutes into the speech is for all of you amazing teachers:

"Let me say something about teachers, by the way. Teachers are the men and women who might be working harder than just about anybody these days. (Applause.) Whether you go to a big school or a small one, whether you attend a public or a private or charter school –- your teachers are giving up their weekends; they’re waking up at dawn; they’re cramming their days full of classes and extra-curricular activities. And then they’re going home, eating some dinner, and then they’ve got to stay up sometimes past midnight, grading your papers and correcting your grammar, and making sure you got that algebra formula properly.

And they don’t do it for a fancy office. They don’t -- they sure don’t do it for the big salary. They do it for you. They do it because nothing gives them more satisfaction than seeing you learn. They live for those moments when something clicks; when you amaze them with your intellect or your vocabulary, or they see what kind of person you’re becoming. And they’re proud of you. And they say, I had something to do with that, that wonderful young person who is going to succeed. They have confidence in you that you will be citizens and leaders who take us into tomorrow. They know you’re our future. So your teachers are pouring everything they got into you, and they’re not alone." - President Obama

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

This is what I had mentioned earlier in my blog, when I wrote about word study. The students select their own weekly spelling words from their Words To Learn sheet. They highlight 6 of the words they want for their spelling list, then on Friday when they take their test, I go back and put a check next to the words they spelled correctly, which is what you can see next to the yellow highlighter from the previous week.